This Will Not Stand

Two of my colleagueshighly respected in the nonprofit
communityrecently had their homes and offices raided by the
FBI. Their names were smeared in the newspaper and false
accusations brought against them through the efforts of forces
opposing their work. The investigation ended with no charges
filed. There had been no wrongdoingthe entire affair was
politically motivated.

Related Reading

The big-money politics of neighborhood development have turned
Washington, D.C., into a battleground of class warfare.
Upper-income forces of gentrification increasingly overpower the
voices of low-income residents and nonprofit groups who struggle
to maintain diversity and create opportunity for those on the low
end of the economic ladder.

Today, virtually none of my organization's new
affordable-housing developments goes unchallenged. Recently one
of our projects was blocked by the zoning boardwhich had
just previously supported an almost-identical project designed
for upper-income people.

D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams is aggressively campaigning to
attract more than 100,000 new upper-income residents, along with
a major league baseball team. He aims to build a new stadium,
using $339 million in city funds, despite studies that show there
will be little or no benefit to local residents and neighborhood
economies. All this at a time when crucial city services are
being slashed and the poor displaced.

We are locked in a struggle for the soul of our city. Will
ours be a city designed for the affluent? Or will it be an inclusive
community, a city that aims to have a place for allwith a
special concern for those near the bottom of the economic ladder?
Real estate prices have escalated such that lower-income people
simply cannot afford to live here without help. Displacement is
occurring on a significant scale. Homelessness is increasing.

NATIONALLY, there's an estimated shortage of 5 million
affordable rental housing units. Rising costs to buy and build
homes makes home ownership more difficult than ever for
low-income people. Public housing is the nation's largest
supplier of affordable housingbut the Bush administration
is cutting operating subsidies to local public housing
authorities by 10 percent. Hope VI, a successful homeownership
and neighborhood revitalization program, is being eliminated
completely.

Two short years ago, the federal government projected 10 years
of budget surplusesremember that? Today we are instead
facing a multi-billion dollar deficit. It is now projected that
there will be a 7 percent cut in social services over the next 10
years, while the Homeland Security and Pentagon budgets are on
the increase. Virtually every state is dealing with massive
deficits, even as needs grow.

Currently, 5.3 million of the lowest-income people in our
country pay more than 30 percent of their income for
rentand many pay as much as 50 to 75 percent. Yet the Bush
administration wants to give financially strapped states more
flexibility to raise rents on Section 8 public housing to
compensate for lowered federal funding for those states. All of
these actions serve only to further foreclose on the housing
needs of the poor.

The greatest agony is that while we know what works, we
as society and government have not chosen that path. Affordable
housing and sustainable community development are not band-aids,
hand-outs, or temporary measures. They are proven, long-term
solutions that liberate, break the cycle of poverty, and provide
opportunity to those who need it most. We know this; there are
long-standing examples across the country of it working. Yet we
as a society do not choose this, even though we have the
overwhelming resources and ability to do so. What we need is a
national leadershipand the willto replicate these
models on a large scale throughout the country.

As a society, we say yes to a little charity but no to the
equity, justice, and fundamental change that ought to roll
through our nation like a mighty river. Still, we know from Jesus
that, in the kingdom of God, this current state of affairs will
not stand.

Jim Dickerson was chair of MANNA Inc., an affordable
housing and community development organization he founded, and
pastor of New Community Church in Washington, D.C., when this
article appeared.

Related Stories

Like what you're reading? Get Sojourners E-Mail updates!

Sojourners Comment Community Covenant

I will express myself with civility, courtesy, and respect for every member of the Sojourners online community, especially toward those with whom I disagree, even if I feel disrespected by them. (Romans 12:17-21)

I will express my disagreements with other community members' ideas without insulting, mocking, or slandering them personally. (Matthew 5:22)

I will not exaggerate others' beliefs nor make unfounded prejudicial assumptions based on labels, categories, or stereotypes. I will always extend the benefit of the doubt. (Ephesians 4:29)

I will hold others accountable by clicking "report" on comments that violate these principles, based not on what ideas are expressed but on how they're expressed. (2 Thessalonians 3:13-15)

I understand that comments reported as abusive are reviewed by Sojourners staff and are subject to removal. Repeat offenders will be blocked from making further comments. (Proverbs 18:7)